Project Status
The project has completed the Planning and Scoping phase. A contract is currently being negotiated to execute the Design and Development and Field Test phases. The contractor is in place to perform the evaluation, and an Outreach contract is planned.

Project Description

Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) was developed from previous intelligent highway vehicle programs including the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991, The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) of 1997 and finally the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) that was created through TEA-21. VII seeks to improve traffic safety and mobility while enhancing commerce in the areas where it will be implemented. In broad terms, VII is essentially a communications infrastructure that includes elements of vehicle based communication units or On Board Equipment (OBE), static roadside sensors and communications or Roadside Equipment (RSE), and a centralized network that manages the exchange of data or the VII National Network. It is envisioned that various OBE will be able to communicate from vehicle-to vehicle and to the RSE using Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC). The RSE units will then communicate with the VII National Network using approved methods and protocols.

In-vehicle signing and traveler information are two of the early applications envisioned for the national VII initiative. Minnesota’s VII for Safety, Mobility and User Fees project will constitute use of OBE and RSE only. It is also expected that the system will utilize DSRC and an aftermarket on-board device. A greater VII information network will not be used in this project to test if real-time safety, mobility and user fee information can be transmitted to a driver using an aftermarket on-board device. The specific applications that Minnesota envisions may include the following:

Mileage based user fee

Work zone alert

School zone alert

Speed zone alert

Curve warning

Intersection collision warning

Enhanced traveler information

The goals of this project are to:

Evaluate the effectiveness of in-vehicle signing for improving safety using localized applications.

Fill the gap between the existing VII Proof of Concept demonstration and future funding decisions.

Determine if the in-vehicle signing approach being developed could be used to implement additional VII applications.

Assess if the proposed VII application could be used to implement mileage based user fees.

Assess the viability of a non-network VII safety application, especially for rural deployments.

The VII for Safety, Mobility and User Fee project work is being divided into two phases. Phase I will consist of tasks necessary to identify where deployment will take place, why the deployed system is necessary, what the proposed system should do, when the system should be deployed and how the system should work. The Concept of Operations, preliminary requirements and evaluation approach developed in Phase I will provide the basis for Mn/DOT’s decision to proceed with Phase II. Phase II will be focused on the actual detailed design and implementation of the system as well as a complete evaluation.